The results of the second round of our prestigious Amateur Photographer of the Year are in! Ilena Fasci wins the top place in this round with a gorgeous fox portrait in the snow, with Lucy Monckton winning the Young APOY top place. Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd from APOY Round Two, Animal Kingdom, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge. Entries into the Animal Kingdom round never fail to impress.
The sheer variety, imagination, skill and technique on display from the entrants – not to mention the tenacity – is a joy to judge. But it makes it extremely difficult, too, as it’s also a hugely subjective genre, and one judge’s winning image could easily end up being another’s commended. Some might like a close-up, with pin-sharp detail revealing secrets about an animal’s fur or a bird’s feathers, while another will be drawn to a wider view that places the creature in context – almost combining landscape and wildlife in one frame.
It’s a round that always gets the judges talking – and we hope you enjoy our top ten choices. This is a wonderfully expressive fox portrait, which goes beyond being merely a straight headshot. Context is everything here, and the falling snow is not only atmospheric but also gives the viewer a sense of the environment in which the fox lives.
The timing of Ilena’s shot is spot on, and depth of field has been very well managed, balancing softness and detail beautifully. A memorable image. The detail in thi.
